Blood. That was the first thought which appeared in my mind when I awoke. I blinked once, then again - my eyesight seemed different somehow. And my sense of smell, too. It was stronger, like a radar; and I could smell blood.
I arched my back and pulled myself up. My eyes adjusted to my surroundings: I was in a small room, a perfect rectangle. The walls had a scarlet and black damaske style on them, and the floor was a cold, hard stone. I had no memory of why I was there, or even what had happened. I didn’t care. All I wanted was to relieve myself of the smell which wafted through my nose, to lick up every last drop. It was a deep, strange lust which was more than hunger. It was a need.
I scanned the room for a way out, an escape. There. I hurled myself at the large wooden door, wrenching open the handle. Locked, I should have known. No matter, no door was going to get in the way of my meal and I. Slowly stepping back to the wall, I gathered all my energy and then ran at the door, easily smashing through the weak wood.
Brushing the discarded bits of wood from my hands, I strode across the hallway. I was in a mansion, it seemed. It must have been abandoned, there were cobwebs stretched across every doorway, and dirt and mould scattered across the floor. I could hear the quick scuttle of rats feet running through the vast corridors. There was an old feel about this mansion. The colour schemes were all rich, deep reds and purples. Dusty chandeliers hung still from the ceilings.
I stepped over to the banister, ignoring the loud creaks in the rotting floorboards beneath my feet. The scent of blood was drifting up from below. I raced down the wide staircase with an almost inhumane speed. By the time I got to the bottom my nose was on fire; I sniffed in. I shut my eyes for a second to enjoy the delicious smell of blood. I felt as if I had starved for hundreds of years, maybe even thousands.
It seemed to call me from my left: blood blood blood blood blood, the halls whispered to me. A second later I was there. In front of me was a small door, unlike the other huge ones I had passed on my way. I clicked open the rounded handle, and it opened. A massive gust of air pushed me forwards into the musty room and then swept away out into the mansion again, closing the door behind me with its force.
On the floor lay a body. It was a boy, no less than seventeen. He was curled up as if he was asleep, but it soon became clear he wasn’t. A big slit stretched from his neck to his lower stomach. It must have been a recent cut; it dripped with pure scarlet blood, forming a puddle on the floor.This was what I had been waiting for.
I leapt to his side, lapping up the puddle and lusting for more, much more. I needed it to breathe, I was gasping for it. I needed this as a human would air, I burned inside as I swallowed every last drop, leaving nothing to spare. Then I reached for the boy, sucking each bead of blood out of his body. I lay with my head next to his chest, letting it trickle down into my throat and savouring the sweet liquid, filling my body with the blood of the boy.
At last there was none left to drink. I stood up and looked down at him, the one who served me my heavenly meal. He was white as ice, and now the my hunger was filled I could see the heavy bags under his eyes, but I could also see the shaggy brown hair and the thick long eyelashes which coated his chocolate eyes. I glanced around the room. It was bare, except for a few small spiders, velvet draped curtains and a full length mirror sat alone in the corner.
I stepped over him towards the mirror and used the side of my hand to wipe away the heavy dust layer over the fine glass. I didn’t recognise the person who glared back at me; I didn’t realise that the girl who faced me was my own reflection. She had the typical high-school cheerleader look: Luscious, waist-length curly hair tied up in a messy side plait, a small elfin face, and a slim physique. She seemed fairly ordinary, except for her startling yellow ochre eyes which were a sea of mystique and extraordinaire.
Tight to her legs were skinny combat trousers, and a skimpy khaki vest to match. Upon her feet were big boots covered in mud, dirt and dried blood. I lowered my head and noticed that those boots were my own, and the girl in the mirror was me. Not bearing to analyse this sight any longer, I turned to face the boy again.
Where there had been a boy less than a minute ago, there lay a blank, empty space in the middle of the room. I held my breath. I used my extra-sensitive perception skills which I somehow knew I had to locate the missing boy, all the while slowly looking around the room for any clue as to where he had gone. Suddenly I felt a strange prickle run down my spine. I warily spun around-
There was a man there. I didn’t know how but I knew his name. Logan. Short black hair matched perfectly with the violet eyes which were the image of my own. A small but obvious scar lined the bottom of his cheekbone, a scar I knew hadn’t just been caused by a little scratch from a kitten. More like a big cat.
He took a step towards me, not taking his eyes off me for a second. His black cloak swished against the floor as he moved.
“Renae Chrisanti. How lovely to see you.” He murmured. I tried not to let my confusion show on my face but I couldn’t help it.
“Who are you?” I asked quietly, as he circled me slowly.
“Well, well. What have they done to you? Memory wipe, no clues or signs. It must be quite serious.” He asked rhetorically.
“Who are you?” I raised my voice slightly.
“Don’t get feisty. When you need me I will tell you who I am, but for now you must find out who you are.” He looked at me once in the eyes and I saw a flash of violet appear in his eyes. Then he swept his cloak up into his face and disappeared.
I told myself there was no point in wondering who or even what he was and why he came here. I knew I would not find an answer in myself and first I would need to find out why I was here and exactly who I was. And a gut feeling inside of my heart (if I had one) I knew this started with finding out who the boy was.
I turned around to search the room once again for him. I saw a shadowed figure leaning against the wooden door, then my vision went black.
